Mitt Romney flew to Tampa to be with his wife Ann when she addresses the Republican National Convention. It will also be an opportunity for him to be present when the delegates officially nominate him. After appearing in Tampa, Romney will fly to Indianapolis so he can speak to the American Legion on Wednesday, then fly back to Tampa to accept his party’s nomination on Thursday.
Until recently, candidates eschewed appearing at conventions before their acceptance speeches, but both Barack Obama and John McCain made “surprise” appearances with their running mates after the running mates’ speeches.
The public display of Romney flying back for his wife is an accurate reflection of their marriage; their family is a model American family, and Romney’s role as the patriarch and grandfather gives him a gravitas that easily outstrips the image of Barack Obama as a neophyte issuing sophomoric platitudes about hope and change.
Just as Americans found that Jimmy Carter was too young and overwhelmed by his job, and saw Ronald Reagan as a sage, reassuring force who brought stability, Romney’s personal life, which hearkens back to days that are not “mythic” (as WaPo reporter Jonathan Capeheart called them) but real, should make Americans feel that they can resurrect the innocent, optimistic life B.O. (before Obama)